this morning on "early today," snow, rain, and dangerous winds hit the storm battered northeast. well, president obama won. he now returns to deal with a serious financial disaster, and dodging traffic. a nasty auto accident caught on tape along with pedestrians who walked away from it. >> announcer: this is "early today" for thursday, november 8th, 2012. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. more misery for residents of the northeast. a powerful nor'easter hits them. this storm is packing winds of

over 60 miles per hour and has dumped as much as a foot of snow. there are already reports of downed trees and power lines. that means more than 1,000 flights have been canceled. nbc's danielle leigh is in trenton, new jersey. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. people are waking up to a couple inches of snow this morning, the first of the season. but for the hundreds of thousands still trying to recover from hurricane sandy, this was the last thing they needed. rain, snow and wind at times over 60 miles an hour is drenching homes. entire communities already rearranged by hurricane sandy. >> it's overwhelming. >> very sad. it's very sad to see us getting pounded again. >> reporter: waves lashed out on beaches nearly washed away in last week's superstorm leading to new fierce of flooding. from sea bright to queens, people are seeking shelter

again. >> a warm shelter is available for free at hillcrest high school. >> reporter: even as crews rushed to fix power lines, hundreds of thousands just getting their lights back on are back in the dark. >> it's a little insult to injury, but that's mother nature. >> reporter: for others who never had their power restored, this cold weather is miserable. >> cold. very cold. you sleep at night with blankets and socks and everything else on, and it's just horrible. >> reporter: the storm is forcing airlines to cancel more than 1,000 flights and leading to accidents on the road. >> it's slippery. very slippery. >> reporter: new setbacks all along the northeast. >> i hate setbacks. i don't tolerate them usually very well, but this one i can't control. the weather is what it is. >> reporter: millions now preparing to spend another day climbing out from a new beating thanks to this season's first

winter storm. and those weather weary people here in the northeast may get a chance to do that. forecasters say that these conditions are going to dry up and warm up for the next couple of days. reporting live in trenton, new jersey, i'm danielle leigh. back to you. >> thanks so much. nbc's meteorologist bill karins is tracking this for us. warm up, clear up, is that true? >> it is. the worst of it happened during the rush hour yesterday. it will slowly improve. the snow was worse than expected but the wind and the waves and the storm surge was less. it was better news for the coast, but inland areas got nailed. hartford, connecticut, 4 inches of snow. central park in new york city, almost 5 inches of snow is almost unheard of, wasser, mass., 5 inches, danbury, connecticut, 9. and one in new jersey with a foot of snow. the storm almost looks like a tropical storm. that's the center of it.

south of nantucket. its anding over the interior sections. it's wrapping in some warmer air, changing over snow to rain in areas of long island. the temperatures have warmed up even at the upper levels of the storm. that will help things during the day today. the worst of it definitely on cape cod right now. look at the wind gusts. 59 on martha's vineyard, 55 on provincetown. cape cod, this is the worst of it for you. you're getting the rain and the pounding wind. w worcester, the snow with the leaves on the trees aren't doing so well. major highways fine. secondary roads slushy. during the afternoon hours the roads will clear up. most of us will head into the 40s. it will be a slushy, wet mess by later this afternoon. >> it will warm up and melt off. president obama is back at the white house this morning where he will begin to work with congress on taxes, spending, and the national debt.

to avoid that so-called fiscal cliff. nbc's trais si potts is in washington. >> reporter: good morning. he's back here and the real work begins starting with the economy including that fiscal cliff that you mentioned, taxes and budget problems that could kick in by the end of this year. >> i am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. >> reporter: fresh off his election victory, president obama's already been on the phone with top democrats and republicans in congress urging them compromise before america falls off the fiscal cliff. what's that? long-term unemployment benefits and the 2% payroll tax cut expiring. a big cut in medicare payments. and your taxes going up january 1 if congress doesn't act. plus, another $500 billion in cuts at the pentagon.

boeing, the military's second largest supplier, already announced a second round of executive layoffs. >> nobody wants to see this fiscal cliff without a deal because the cuts are severe and the tax increases are severe and so we've got to find a path forward. >> reporter: on capital hill leaders signalled compromise. >> compromise is not a dirty word. i want to work together, but i want everyone to also understand you can't push us around. >> i'm not suggesting we compromise on our principles, but i am suggesting that we commit ourselves to creating an atmosphere where we can seek common ground where it exists and seize it. >> reporter: post election, the same president, the same balance of power in congress and the same problems that divided a nation. >> you might remember before the election the president said he thought he could come up with a deficit deal within six months of being re-elected. lynn, now the clock is ticking. >> now we'll see. thanks so much, tracie. let's go back to bill karins, he has your national and

regional weather where there is another storm brewing. >> a blizzard. montana, idaho, north dakota. your storm is coming through the day today, tonight, and lasting through tomorrow morning. let me show you where we have blizzard warnings extending from great falls over to almost the border of north dakota. billings is under a winter storm watch at this time. missoula, same for you. as far as the snowfall estimates, this will be an impressive storm for the northern half of montana and northern half of north dakota. six to 12 inches and a foot. with windy conditions, that will be the travel trouble spot through the day today tonight and tomorrow. miningor winter storm for the northern rockies. slowly warm up and melt the snow in the northeast. the rest of the country, 78 in dallas. give me a flight. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. so there is some beautiful weather out there to be had today. temperatures a little cool by florida standards. 69 and sunny is not bad.

columbus, ohio, 51 and sunny. kansas looks beautiful at 63. so the big story with the storm leaving the northeast, the warmup begins. the weekend looks very nice. >> you're going to dallas. i'm going to miami 71 and sunny. all right. congressman jesse jackson jr. won re-election but could lose with the feds. and election loser alan west won't go quietly. plus today former congresswoman gabby giffords goes face to face with the man who tried to assassinate her. details are next. you're watching "early today."

plenty of other stories making news this morning. the chicago sunday times reports jesse jackson jr. is talking with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal. jackson easily won re-election tuesday while being treated at the mayo clinic for by polar

disorder and depression. the feds are looking into whether he improperly used campaign funds for decorating her home. today for the first time after she was gunned down 22 months ago gabby giffords will come face to face with the man who tried to assassinate her. jared lock ner will be sentenced to life without pa roll. giffords husband, mark kelley, will also be in court reading a letter on his wife's behalf. the election in florida is still too close to call in the presidential contest. and in another florida race, republican congressman alan west is demanding a recount despite the fact that he's trailing democrat patrick murphy by nearly 2500 votes considered outside the margin for a recount. at least 48 are dead after a massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake in guatemala. cameras rolled as an after shock hit. take a look at the upper

right-hand part of your screen. this is amazing. do you see that woman. this incredible video from great britain. it shows a woman who survived after getting crushed by three cars while trying to walk across the street. amazingly she suffered only nonlife threatening head injuries. unreal. now to wall street where u.s. markets and asian markets suffered hard losses. the dow plunged 312 points yesterday. the s&p fell 33. the nasdaq tumbled 74. in tokyo the nikkei sank 135 points while in hong kong the hang seng shot down 532. well, the post election day drop for the dow was the fifth largest since 1900. as wall street responded to the elections with a selloff on fierce that congress and the white house won't be able to avoid that fiscal cliff we told you about earlier in the show. a california judge has refused to issue a preliminary injunction to stop dish network's digital video recorder which allows consumers to record

certain shows and play them back without any commercials. airlines could beat steps like turkeys. they estimate that travel will be on the rise with almost 24 million travelers flying from friday, november 16th, through tuesday, the 27th. legal marijuana which voters in washington and colorado approved could become big business generating millions in tax dollars, but colorado's governor says it's too early to break out the cheat tows and goldfish because the federal government may sue to stop it. d.c. entertainment is going to sell all of its comics through itunes, amazon and barnes & noble. the comics digital version will be available the same day they go on sale in comic stores. and jetblue airlines says coratulations team elephant. huh? for possibly winning a free trip out of the country for incorrectly predicting that mitt

romney would be president. those who registered on team elephant have a chance to win one of a thousand round trip flights. coming up, a man elected a month after he died. plus, did this fire start all by itself? details are next. and the hard-hit areas from sandy and now this nor'easter need a break. your friday forecast, maybe some good news. that's coming up. you're watching "early today."

well, now a look at some of the stories making news early today in america. let's start with a colossal blaze that phoenix firefighters could be battling for several days. officials aren't quite sure what started the massive fire but say sometimes hay bales ignite from excessive moisture and bacteria. as of this morning they are continuing to battle the hay fire which is 200 feet wide and 20 feet high. in alabama voters decided a dead man was better than a democrat. charles beasley won the race for county commissioner. his name was left on the ballot and he received nearly 52% of the vote. appointment of a new commissioner now falls to the governor. finally, remember the woman who recklessly drove on the sidewalk to get around a school bus picking up the kids. not a good idea. her traffic violation led to a $250 fine, a 30 day license

suspension and some major public humiliation. next tuesday and wednesday the judge has ordered the 32-year-old to wear a sandwich board that says only idiots drive on a sidewalk to avoid a school bus. in sports, kevin garnett grabbed the rebound to start the fast break as brandon bass makes the lay-up in a 100-94 win over the wizards. with just over a minute left to play in atlanta the hawks hit a three point shot to take the lead and edge indiana 89-86. just ahead, steven kolber's agony of defeat, and who's your favorite fictional president. plus, we'll tell you why this pee wee football player has become such a huge internet sensation. you're watching "early today."

and actor roger moore talks have a good one.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. we're starting out with a breezy and chilly conditions as the big storm pulls away from us. 35 in taneytown. it feels colder because of the wind. we start out with some clouds and maybe some rain or snow showers. it will turn mostly sunny this afternoon. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> 4:57.

coming up -- >> a major water main break causing headaches for some commuters. >> that water continues to flow down charles straigeet. >> sandy is now a winter storm. how many people lost power? >> will update you on the water main break what are you doing there? i am making crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels. wow, i'm impressed! [ ding ] dad, the cable's out! you got that right? [ kiss ] thank you ♪

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[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> the cold continues. >> most